


Fool's Gold

by Rainbow Umbrella (aesungie)



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, my first fic pls don't judge too harshly ;-;, tbh i'm an animator not a writer this is just because i'm desperate for yehyuk fics, yehyuk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28193205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aesungie/pseuds/Rainbow%20Umbrella
Summary: Love at first sight had always seemed like a cliché to Yesung. An overused trope in movies, a weak display of character. He was certain that he would never be as stupid to fall in love with a stranger.But then again, he should've known that life doesn't always give him what he wants.
Relationships: Kim Jongwoon | Yesung/Lee Hyukjae | Eunhyuk
Comments: 24
Kudos: 41





	1. Crimson All Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GreenTeaz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenTeaz/gifts), [Angelpetal83](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelpetal83/gifts), [CloudintheMoonlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudintheMoonlight/gifts).



> Can't believe my YeHyuk feels have made desperate enough to write my first fic. Hopefully it won't be too bad, but I did it mainly because I was inspired by other fabulous writers like AngelPetal83, GreenTeaz and CloudintheMoonlight. I love your writing sm <3
> 
> Here's my twitter in case you guys want to dm or check for updates or anything ^-^ https://twitter.com/aesung_ie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dance lessons and a contagious laugh preoccupy Yesung's anxiety filled mind.

Yesung had never particularly liked dancing. He never seemed to understand when to move which limb to which beat, and would've been more than happy to live the rest of his days not knowing. His mother, on the other hand, had an entirely different view on the matter, and when she saw a flyer for lessons in their new neighbourhood, she immediately signed him up.

"It will be fun", she had said, ignoring his protests. "You'll make new friends and learn something besides watching movies all day."

•···•···•

So that's how Yesung found himself outside the little studio a street over from his home, wishing that he could just hide behind a tree for an hour. School had been trying enough that day, and he really wasn't in the mood to humiliate himself in front of a bunch of neighbourhood kids.

He peered through the glass window, observing the surroundings, where several boys around his age were talking and laughing and playing around. Yesung could feel his hands becoming clammy; he’d never been very good amongst crowds. Despite being a talkative person around people he was comfortable with, he dreaded the idea of having to go up to strangers and awkwardly trying to become friends with them. And he was certain that his dance skills (or lack thereof) were not going to do him any favours.

Mustering up as much courage as he could, he shuffled into the brightly lit room, hoping no one would notice him. He made his way to the back, a little space away from the largest (and loudest) gathering of boys, and set his belongings down, hoping that the instructor wouldn’t take too long to show up. As he awkwardly stood around, a sudden eruption of laughter caught his attention, and he looked up to see the source of the noise. His eyes were drawn to a boy in the middle of the crowd, who was almost doubled over with laughter, and judging from his friends’ reactions, was clearly the reason behind the cacophony. As he looked back up, wiping away tears of mirth, Yesung let out a soft gasp, awestruck by the boy’s soft yet angular features, and the mischievous twinkle in his eye. He felt a sudden rush of heat to his face as he realised he was staring, but he couldn’t get the sound of the laughter out of his head. It was a contagious laugh, and Yesung wished to laugh along with him, even if he didn’t know the reason behind it.

He snapped out of his thoughts at the arrival of the instructor and remembered his surroundings and the inevitable embarrassment that was to come with it. He stayed at the back, trying to hide himself from view as the instructor quickly set up, and asked the class if they remembered all the progress they’d made. A few boys, including Yesung, shook their heads, and so the instructor called out for a volunteer to demonstrate. One hand shot up faster than the rest, and as the figure moved their way to the front, Yesung realised that it was the same boy he had noticed before. He looked intently at the other, noticing that the boy was slightly younger than him, and had a very thin, light build. Yet he moved with grace, and when the music started, Yesung found himself staring once again. The boy moved with such fluidity that he almost appeared to be a part of the music itself. It was like no one else existed in the room, and Yesung could almost imagine a spotlight shining over the dancing figure, as that’s how captivating he was.

He felt a twinge of disappointment when the music stopped abruptly, barely 30 seconds later. They were instructed to follow along step-by-step, and Yesung struggled to keep up, but to his relief, so did several other kids. He kept stealing glances at the dancer boy, who seemed completely at ease with what was being taught, even pausing at times to help his friends. Yesung rather wished he were one of them, but figured it would be decidedly better not to embarrass himself to death.

  
  


An hour later he exited the studio, tired and sweaty and longing for his bed. As he absently walked along the sidewalk, phone in hand, he crashed unceremoniously into someone in front of him causing the other’s phone to crash to the floor. He hastily bent down and picked it up, and was about to hand it over when his eyes met a pair of twinkling brown ones.

“Thanks”, said the boy, reaching out for his phone. Yesung remained frozen in place, forgetting that he was supposed to let go of the phone. The boy frowned when he tugged on it and Yesung’s grasp still didn’t loosen. 

“Uh, Can I have my phone back?” he said, and Yesung’s eyes snapped wide open, suddenly hyper-aware of the situation and rapidly turning crimson with mortification.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry”, he said as he let go of the phone, and tore his eyes away, hoping the ground would open up and swallow him. He heard a low chuckle and a soft “That’s alright” as footsteps shuffled away, and only then did he permit himself to move, still drowning in shame as he trudged home. Of all people to bump into, why did it have to be _him_? 

•···•···•

He didn’t think it would be possible to dread a simple after-school activity this much, but when he found himself outside the studio two days later, he felt like his legs had turned to lead. He poked his head around the door, hoping the boy hadn’t shown up today as he couldn’t bear to see him again, and exhaled a sigh of relief when he couldn’t see him amongst the sea of heads. 

A small cough behind him caught his attention. He turned his head slowly, still leaning halfway through the door frame, and once again found himself face to face with dancer-boy, who seemed to be trying to suppress a smile, his eyes lit up with amusement. Yesung almost cursed out loud, unable to believe his luck at being caught in yet another embarrassing encounter with a boy he desperately wanted to be friends with.

“I plan on going inside, if you don’t mind.”

“Um. Yeah. Sorry”, stammered Yesung, as he sidestepped, allowing the other to pass him. He was just beginning to wonder if things could get any worse when the boy turned around, and with a playful gleam in his eyes, said, “Nice accessories, by the way.”

Yesung swore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a bit long, but I'll update as often as I can, I promise ^-^  
> Also as this is my first time writing in absolutely ages, feedback is much appreciated, whether it has to do with formatting or language or anything. Thanks for reading!


	2. The Aroma of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yesung gets possessed by an extroverted ghost for like, 2 seconds  
> (jk lol)

In the following days, Yesung managed to stay out of dancer-boy’s way. He still hadn’t learnt his name, and was too nervous to go up and ask him for fear of humiliating himself again. So he stuck to the back of the room as much as he could, only occasionally speaking to ask the instructor for help.

He was beginning to feel increasingly frustrated with the classes, however. So far he had neither succeeded in making any new friends, nor had he particularly improved his skills. In fact, Yesung could confidently say that he was amongst the worst dancers in the room, if not the worst. He couldn’t help but think that this whole thing was a colossal waste of time, time taken away from singing or reading or watching movies - things he actually liked and could easily be done alone.

Swift, stolen glances at dancer-boy were the only thing that kept him going. He didn’t understand why the boy seemed so appealing to him, but something about his cheerful demeanour drew Yesung in, and he couldn’t help admire the way he seemed to make other people gravitate around him, and make them laugh for a simple joke. And everytime the boy laughed, Yesung felt less alone.

He couldn’t shake the feeling. _What’s wrong with me_ , he thought to himself over and over. It wasn’t like him to become so fixated on a person, he prided himself on being functionally independent, as that’s how he lived most of his life, without many friends and a rather emotionally distant family. But looking at the boy laughing across the room, with his eyes crinkling and his gummy smile, Yesung couldn’t help but wish that they were friends, just to be able to hear that wonderful sound as much as he could.

 _Wishful thinking,_ he said to himself. _There’s no way someone so cool would want to be friends with me, a literal nobody._

•···•···•

“For this step, I want everyone to be paired up, so I’m going to assign you a partner”, announced the loud voice of the instructor. Yesung groaned inwardly. He had barely spoken to anyone yet, and now he’d have to dance with them? He highly hoped that he’d be paired up with someone with equally miserable dance skills so as to not embarrass himself completely, and waited patiently as names were called out and people were paired together.

“Eunhyuk, you’re paired with Yesung”, the instructor said, before moving on to other names, none of which Yesung recognized. _I wonder who Eunhyuk is_ , he muttered as he scanned the room. A familiar cough behind him made him jump, and he whipped around to see a hand extended towards him.

“Hi, I’m Eunhyuk”, came the voice of dancer-boy, who was looking right at him with a smile on his face.

Yesung nearly died on the spot.

To his credit, he managed to meet dancer-boy’s _Eunhyuk’s_ hand and introduce himself without his brain short-circuiting. 

“Nice to meet you, Yesung-ssi”, and a small part of Yesung that wasn’t smothered in panic registered that his name sounded lovely, coming from Eunhyuk. “I figured you’re the one whom I was partnered up with, since you’re the only one I never spoke to here. It’s nice calling you something other than accessory-boy, that’s for sure” he said with a slight smirk on his face. 

Yesung was too busy trying not to turn red to retaliate, and before he could say anything the instructor began listing off directions for the class to follow. Yesung was sure that he had never concentrated on dancing this much at any point in his whole life, but now that Eunhyuk was right beside him, moving effortlessly in time with the music, he felt as though his life depended on it.

Despite the amount of effort he put into it, he still found himself tripping over his own feet. Cursing under his breath as he sat up, he flushed when he saw Eunhyuk looking down at him, with that maddeningly amused expression, his mouth twitching as tried not to smile. He looked away, mortified at having been caught failing so miserably, when Eunhyuk offered his hand to pull him back up.

“It’s a pretty difficult step, huh?” he said, as Yesung got up on his feet.

“For me this whole thing seems impossible. You seem to be enjoying yourself though.”

“I suppose, yeah. But I can help you, if you’d like.”

“Will it not be too much of a bother?” Yesung inquired hesitantly.

“Not at all. Besides, I’d like to dance with someone while standing up.” Eunhyuk grinned, and Yesung found himself smiling through his embarrassment.

True to his word, Eunhyuk helped him figure out the steps, and Yesung slowly lost his shyness. He felt more at ease thanks to the other’s casual behaviour, giggling whenever Eunhyuk made a funny remark, and found himself having fun while dancing for the first time in, _probably forever,_ he thought to himself.

He managed to match the movements that Eunhyuk made, (albeit not as fluidly), and when the hour was up, he felt a bit disappointed at having their time come to an end. And so, gathering some reckless courage he didn’t even know he had, he strode up to the other boy, who was packing up his belongings, and tapped his shoulder.

“Thanks for helping me out today”, he said, and before he could lose his resolve, “wouldyouliketogetacoffeewithme?” The words rushed out, almost unintelligibly. 

Eunhyuk stared at him in confusion. “What was that last part again?”

“I- uh,” Yesung began, racked with anxiety again at being asked to repeat himself. “I just wanted to ask. As a thank you for helping me. If, uh, you’d like to have some coffee with me? Or something. I understand if you’re busy or don’t want to come. I’ll just go now”, and he started to back away, when Eunhyuk’s mouth curved into a smile.

“That sounds great”, he said, as he hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. “Though hot chocolate sounds better; I’m not all that fond of coffee.”

•···•···•

They sat in a small café that Eunhyuk had suggested, after realising that Yesung was too new to the neighborhood to know of a good place to visit. It was quaint, with dim, low-hanging lights and house plants scattered on different shelves. Frames of abstract art hung on most of the walls, and Yesung wished he had discovered the place much earlier. It was also fairly empty, with only a couple of people seated in a corner, engrossed in their phones, so the silence was palpable.

Yesung paid for a cappuccino and a mug of hot chocolate for the younger boy before finding a small table to sit at. He fidgeted, not knowing what to say, and wondered whatever possessed him to ask Eunhyuk to accompany him for a coffee alone, as he had definitely not thought this far into the plan.

“So you’re pretty new here, right?” came Eunhyuk’s voice, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I just moved here from Cheonan a few weeks ago. My father got transferred again, so we had to move for the third time in five years.”

“Woah, how do you keep up with studying all over the country?”

“It wasn’t easy. I had to redo a year, so I’m still stuck in the 10th grade. It’s a miracle I even got this far.”

“Wait, you're _two years_ older than me? But you have such a baby face!” Eunhyuk teased. 

Yesung chuckled. “So I’ve been told. But yes, I’m nearly 17.”

Silence fell between them again, as they sipped their drinks. Yesung figured it was his turn to speak, and racked his brain for something to ask.

“Have you lived here a long time?”

“All my life. It’s pretty boring to be stuck in a single place for 15 years, I’m not going to lie.”

“Perhaps, but moving so often gets tiring. At least you get to stay friends with the people here.”

“Ah, that’s a good point. I grew up with most of the kids here”, Eunhyuk sighs fondly. “We’re all practically family now, that’s how close we are.”

“That sounds so nice.” Yesung's voice must’ve betrayed a hint of wistfulness, because Eunhyuk studied him for a moment, before speaking again.

“You know, we’ll always have room for one more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are pretty short right now, but I guess they'll get longer in the future? I hope. I'm not very good at planning this things out, so suggestions will be appreciated :) I never really understood how difficult this was until I started it myself. Honestly, mad respect to all the writers out there lol.


	3. Everything is Cold Outside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's everyone!

_Maybe having a friend isn’t so bad after all._

_Especially if the friend in question is Eunhyuk._

Yesung marvelled at how comfortable Eunhyuk was around him, despite being younger and also, a complete stranger. He barely hesitated to introduce Yesung to his never-ending friend list, and didn’t seem to mind that the older could barely remember all the names he rattled off during said introductions. In time, Yesung recognized a few of Eunhyuk’s closest friends, namely a rather affectionate boy named Donghae who was around Eunhyuk’s age, and Kyuhyun, the youngest friend in the vast social circle, who shared the same sense of humour and witty banter. Yesung grew to like both of them, but Eunhyuk was the one he cared for most. 

_He’s a good friend_ , Yesung thought to himself. It’d been a long time since he’s had one of those.

•···•···•

Dance lessons had become a lot more fun after he’d made friends. He found himself looking forward to being back in the brightly lit little studio three times a week, the fear of messing up fading away as the days passed by and his dancing skills began to improve. And even when he did struggle, help was always found in the form of Eunhyuk, ready with a grin on his face and an innocuous remark about two left feet, always followed with laughter. 

Laughter that was like music to Yesung’s ears.

They frequented the cafe that they’d first hung out in, usually accompanied by Donghae and Kyuhyun. The initial silence was now replaced with non-stop chatter, and Yesung was surprised to find himself rambling so much at times. Occasionally Eunhyuk would quip that houseplants exist to replace all the oxygen that Yesung was using up while talking, but it was always in jest, and Yesung would retort with a jab at Eunhyuk’s peculiar hairstyles or his obsession with ramen.

“Where do you put all that stuff?” Yesung would ask incredulously, watching the skinny boy devour a giant bowl of noodles. Eunhyuk’s only response would be to slurp louder, making Yesung roll his eyes and throw a crumpled up tissue at him.

“You’re such a brat”, he’d say, a hint of affection in his tone.

•···•···•

It was the 23rd of August, and Yesung sighed as he looked at the stack of homework he had to finish.

 _Great,_ he thought to himself. _It’s the night before my birthday, and I’m slaving away at Math._

As August had approached, Yesung had found himself looking forward to his birthday, perhaps for the first time in his life. He didn’t yet know what his friends were planning, but he could tell _something_ was up, judging from all the sudden giggling that would erupt around him and the hushed whispering that would take place while they’d look pointedly at him, as though expecting him to get annoyed and beg them for hints. Yesung hadn’t given them the satisfaction however, and would stare serenely back until they gave up in exasperation.

He did really want to know though.

He turned his attention back to the infuriatingly incomprehensible math questions. His new school had been mostly alright, and he had become acquainted with a couple of people from his class, but not well enough to ask for help. 

The hours dragged by. Yesung wondered if his friends would call when it struck midnight, and it struck him that he would be rather lonely if not. Both his parents had left the house for some work, and there was no telling when they’d return. It’s not like they ever celebrated at night, but it might’ve been nice to have a simple greeting, maybe a hug.

The sky outside began to darken as the notebook filled up with answers. As the clock inched towards midnight, Yesung found himself getting more and more restless. He desperately wanted to just call it a day and curl up in bed with a good book, but he also wasn’t a fan of dying at the hands of his intimidating Math teacher. 

He could faintly hear the chimes of a clock as midnight struck. Yesung picked up his phone, wondering if he’d receive any texts or calls, but his phone remained depressingly silent.

 _Maybe they forgot,_ he murmured dejectedly. _Or I misread the situation. Maybe they never remembered in the first place._

He pulled himself together as he tried to continue his homework. He was used to this, being alone on his birthday. He could deal with it this year too, right? He doesn’t need people to celebrate his day.

A resounding crash pierced through his sorrowful thoughts, making him look up with a start.

_What the fuck was that?_

He made his way cautiously down the staircase, phone at the ready to call emergency services. He heard rapid whispering, and a stifled giggle.

 _What kind of burglars giggle_? Was a thought that crossed his mind, just before he heard a slap and a shushing noise.

“Shut _up Kyu!”_ hissed an all-too familiar voice. “He’ll hear us!”

“Too late”, said Yesung, flicking on the lights. It was the intruders’ turn to jump, and three panicked faces came into view. “Eunhyuk, Donghae, Kyuhyun, _what the hell are you guys doing in my house?”_

“...Surprise?” Eunhyuk had a sheepish look on his face as he held up a box. “We wanted to celebrate with you, but we didn’t know how to get in without you knowing.”

“So you decided to… break in?”

“It was his idea!” Donghae interjected, pointing towards Eunhyuk. “I warned him this was a bad plan!”

“We would’ve gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for Kyuhyun’s clumsiness.”

“Hey it’s not my fault the umbrella stand was placed right in front of the window!” exclaimed Kyuhyun indignantly.

“You guys climbed in through the _window?”_

“Yeah yeah it’s nothing to worry about”, said Eunhyuk, brushing aside the surprising revelation. “Now do you want your cake or not?” 

Yesung was rendered speechless for a few seconds. “You guys brought cake?”

“Of course, what’s a birthday party without cake?” Eunhyuk smiled at him. “Now where are the plates?”

Yesung had never had so much fun in his life. The four of them sat in his room, math books discarded and cake covering all their faces. He was glad his parents weren’t home yet, or they definitely would’ve thrown a fit at the mess on the floor, and he giggled every time he remembered Kyuhyun running after Eunhyuk with a huge piece of cake in his hand just to trip and smash it into his own face instead. The fact that the neighbours hadn’t reported them for all the noise they’d caused, laughing until their sides hurt and tears streamed down their faces, was truly a miracle.

Music blared through the speakers as they talked. Yesung felt a rush of affection as he looked around, watching his friends laugh at Donghae’s joke. His room had never been filled with so many people before, but it felt like it held them perfectly. He was seated on his desk chair, while Eunhyuk was lying on the bed with Kyuhyun, and Donghae was perched on the ledge near the windowsill. 

_I could get used to this,_ he thought.

At half past one, Kyuhyun got up, saying that he had to head back home to honour the deal he’d made with his parents. Donghae stood up too, stifling a yawn and mentioned something about an early soccer practice. 

Yesung went to see them off at the door, Eunhyuk in tow. He thanked them for coming, and promised he’d see them again the next day.

Once they were out of sight, he turned around, to see Eunhyuk still behind him. 

“Don’t you have to leave, Eunhyuk-ah? It’s getting quite late.”

“I do, and I will be out of your hair soon”, he said, patting his pockets, as if searching for something. He pulled out a small parcel, wrapped in colourful paper, and handed it to Yesung. 

Yesung smiled apprehensively, curious about the contents of the gift, and delicately tore off the wrapping paper. He opened the box, and gasped softly. A small, silver, turtle-shaped locket lay on the velvet insides, shimmering brightly as it reflected the moonlight.

“I hope you like it”, Eunhyuk sounded rather nervous as he studied Yesung’s reaction. “I remember you mentioning that you like turtles, so I thought this might be a good gift for you.”

Yesung stared at him, overcome with joy upon hearing the fact that the other remembered a simple mention of his liking for turtles what felt like ages ago. Hands shaking slightly, he strung the chain around his neck and clasped it, the locket coming to rest below his collarbone. “Thank you, Eunhyuk-ah”, he said, looking into the other’s eyes. “I love it.”

Eunhyuk’s features softened into a smile. “Happy birthday, Yesung-hyung. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” And with that, he stepped out of the door, turned around to flash a dazzling smile at him, and disappeared around the corner.

Yesung decided he never wanted to take the necklace off again.

•···•···•

Loud music blared through the speakers, almost drowning out the buzz of chatter all around. Yesung dug his frozen hands deeper into his pockets to keep them out of the icy breeze, and pulled his coat tighter around him. It should’ve been warmer, given the number of people he was surrounded by, but the frosty December winds seemed intent on creating as much discomfort as possible.

Usually around this time, Yesung would be settling down to watch a movie with a mug of hot coffee and a bucket of popcorn. New Year’s festivities were unfamiliar to him, mostly due to having no one to celebrate with, but now he was huddled amongst a horde of boys in the neighbourhood park, which was filled with more people than Yesung had ever seen it hold. Colourful strings of lights flickered through the trees and bushes they were draped over, and tipsy adults stumbled over the uneven ground, laughing and chattering away merrily.

All of Eunhyuk’s friends were gathered there as well, and Yesung was seated between him and Kyuhyun. Most of them were fixated on the sky, watching the light shows and debating which were the best ones.

“You look like you’re freezing, hyung” Eunhyuk’s brows furrowed in concern as he glanced at Yesung, who was shivering slightly.

“Yeah, I sorely underestimated how cold it would be at midnight”, Yesung answered sheepishly. “I’m not usually out this late in the middle of winter.”

“You’re such a genius, hyung. I’m sure a baby in a stroller would have more sense than you.”

“Yah! Don’t be rude to your elders!”

Eunhyuk stuck his tongue out, but pulled off his scarf, and began wrapping it around Yesung’s neck, and the latter stiffened in surprise.

“There you go”, Eunhyuk said, tucking the ends into his coat. “Now you won’t turn into an icicle.”

Yesung felt heat spread to his cheeks, though he doubted it had anything to do with the scarf. “Won’t you feel cold?” 

“Nah, I’m used to this weather. I’m not as sensitive as an old man like you”, his cheeky response earning himself a slap on his head.

A distant cry of “Five!” caught their attention, and Eunhyuk turned to look at the sky, anticipating the fireworks that would start at the stroke of midnight.

“Four!”

Yesung noticed that the buzz chatter had begun to fade as people stopped talking, all of them staring at the sky. 

“Three!” 

The music had quietened down, and a hush fell over the crowd, only punctuated by the countdown chant.

“Two!”

He wondered what the new year would bring. Would it be good? Would he manage to study well? Get better at singing? Would his family stay distant or would they become closer?

“One!”

Whatever the new year held, as long as it had Eunhyuk in it, Yesung felt like he could handle anything.

“Happy New Years!”

The cry erupted from the crowd, deafeningly loud, as the colours lit up the dark sky and sparks showered down. 

The fireworks were breathtaking, but as he turned to Eunhyuk and watched him stare up at the sky, eyes reflecting the flashing colours, Yesung thought that he had the most beautiful view of all.

“Happy New Year’s, Eunhyuk-ah,” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be a delay before the next chapter (there have been issues at home), but it will be longer, I promise ♡


End file.
